Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 11, 1900.djvu/149

 Charm against the Child-stealing Witch. 139

Olives, saw the Archangel Michael coming down from the Mount of Sion, which is the Mount of Olives. The Arch- angel Michael, lord of the heavenly hosts, stopped Avestitza the wing of Satan, " &c. The rest is absolutely identical with the oral charm, and there cannot be the slightest doubt that the oral charm is derived directly from the written text. In these introductory few words a connection is hinted at between this charm and another more elaborate charm, in which the saint Sisoe plays a prominent role, also in connection with the child-stealing spirit. The relation between these two versions, of which one I call the Avestitza type, which is the shorter, and the other I call the Sisoe type, which is the longer, has not yet been definitely settled. I hold that the shorter is independent of the longer, whilst others who have studied the question believe it to have formed originally part of the longer tale, which has then been detached from it and lives as an independent legend. We shall see, however, that the short one is the only one for which parallels exist throughout the world, whilst it is very difficult to find many parallels for the longer recension. The text has been preserved in Rou- manian and in Slavonic, the former being merely a transla- tion of the latter. In a manuscript of the middle of the last century I have found the most complete form of this longer legend, and what is more important still the direct informa- tion that it had been used as an amulet against the child- stealing witch. The written charm had thus become a talisman, an amulet to which the same efficacy had been ascribed as to the spoken conjuration. The legend reads as follows :

" The prayer of the Holy Sisoe for the little children who are killed by the Devil."

" This is to be placed in the cradle of the child and then the Devil will not come near it."

"This Saint Sisoe, with Sidor and Fidor, had waged suc- cessful wars in the country of the Arabians. He had a